Purpose
To determine the level of involvement of orthopaedic sports medicine fellowships on social media, the type of content shared, and the overall level of engagement based on the type of content posted.
Methods
A web-based systematic approach identifying and analyzing the social media presence of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education–accredited orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship programs across 3 major platforms—Instagram, Facebook, and X—from the inception of each Instagram and X account to January 30, 2025, and from January 1, 2020, to January 30, 2025, for each Facebook account. Data on each program’s profile and posts were collected. The χ 2 tests evaluated the variability of content posted between programs. Kruskal-Wallis tests of the mean likes/post/follower evaluated variability in engagement between program profiles.
Results
Of the 95 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education–accredited orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship programs identified, 20 (21.1%) posted about their fellowship on Instagram, 13 (13.7%) on X, 9 (9.5%) on Facebook, and 5 (5.3%) on all 3 platforms. On average, Instagram profiles had 148.7 posts (range, 8-985), X profiles had 2,807.0 posts (range, 102-6,747), and Facebook profiles had 527.4 posts (range, 23-1,185). Non-fellowship-related content (national holidays, patient information) was the most common category across all platforms (mean of 103 posts on Instagram, 2,260 on X, and 489 on Facebook), with little variability between programs. Level of engagement did not statistically differ across any platform (Instagram, P =.457; X, P =.446; Facebook, P =.433).
Conclusions
Although Instagram was identified as the most favored platform, the overall social media presence of orthopaedic sports medicine fellowships across all platforms was limited. Content analysis revealed a predominant focus on posts unrelated to the program’s orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship.
Clinical Relevance
This study highlights the underutilized potential of social media in enhancing visibility, engagement, and communication for orthopaedic sports medicine fellowships.
Social media has become increasingly prominent within the health care field, with over 70% of adults seeking health-related information online. , Two-thirds of orthopaedic surgeons in the Arthroscopy Association of North America use at least 1 social media platform, creating a unique space for communication, marketing, and education between sports medicine surgeons and the public. During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was substantial growth in the social media presence of orthopaedic surgery residency programs as applicants could not visit programs in person. Residency programs were able to reach more prospective applicants and showcase unique program attributes that may have otherwise gone unnoticed on websites, while applicants could get a sense of the program’s culture through the various posts. Wang et al. found that orthopaedic surgery residency programs with a social media presence were more likely to receive a higher number of applications and have more diversity in race and gender among residents. Another study by Butler et al. found that 69.2% of orthopaedic surgery residency applicants utilized Instagram to learn more about residency programs, and 34% of rank lists were influenced by social media. While previous studies have focused on the use of social media by orthopaedic surgery residency programs, social media use among orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship programs has not been similarly examined. The purpose of this study was to determine the level of involvement of orthopaedic sports medicine fellowships on social media, the type of content shared, and the overall level of engagement based on the type of content posted. We hypothesize a high prevalence of orthopaedic surgery sports medicine fellowship programs across all 3 social media types.
Methods
Orthopaedic Sports Fellowship Program Selection
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine website, and the sports fellowship directory from the Arthroscopy Association of North America were queried on January 20, 2025, yielding a list of 95 ACGME-accredited orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship programs. ,, All 95 programs were included in the search for social media profiles. ACGME-accredited primary care sports medicine fellowships were excluded from our study.
Social Media Presence
Social media profiles for orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship programs were identified by searching each program’s website for profile links, as well as searching for the name of the program directly on Instagram, X, and Facebook and through Google. Profiles directly sponsored by the fellowship or linked to the official program’s website were screened for inclusion. Social media pages were excluded if they had zero posts specific to their orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship programs. Resident-specific accounts were excluded.
Data Collection
Following the confirmation of a social media presence and posts regarding the orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship, the social media pages were reviewed for both quantitative and qualitative data. An initial assessment of the date of creation, follower count, following count, and post number was extracted to establish a baseline of a program’s timeline and existing presence. Detailed analysis, including likes per post, comments per post, most common hashtags, and nature of posts, was calculated for further analysis into how orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship programs chose to interact with their platform ( Appendix 1 ). Although not a comprehensive list, posts clearly about the fellowship program were categorized by content based on the following descriptions: educational, surgical, social, program information, visiting lecturers, and research. All posts not specifically related to the fellowship were categorized as non-fellowship related ( Appendix 2 ). Posts did not always neatly fit one of the above categories; therefore, labels were used for the overall theme of each post. All data were collected manually from the inception of each Instagram and X account to January 30, 2025, and from January 1, 2020, to January 30, 2025, for each Facebook account. A χ 2 test was used to evaluate the variability of content themes between programs. Engagement with social media profiles was calculated using mean likes/post/follower. A Kruskal-Wallis calculation was then used to evaluate the variability in engagement between program profiles.
Results
Of the 95 ACGME-accredited orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship programs, 20 (21.1%) posted about their fellowship on Instagram, 13 (13.7%) on X, and 9 (9.5%) on Facebook. Five programs (5.3%) posted about their fellowship on all 3 platforms. Of the accounts included, 90% of Instagram accounts (n = 18), 15% of X accounts (n = 2), and 22% of Facebook (n = 2) were created after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. The level of engagement with program profiles did not statistically differ across any social media platform (Instagram, P =.457; X, P =.446; and Facebook, P =.433).
The information and activity of all 20 orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship Instagram profiles are summarized in Table 1 . Most profiles were created after March 2020 (n = 18; 90%) and had a mean of 793.8 followers (range, 62-3,956) and 198.0 following (range, 0-721). Instagram profiles had a mean of 148.7 posts (range, 8-985).
Table 1
Fellowship Instagram Profile and Activity Information
| Program (Handle) | Date Joined (MM/YYYY) | Followers | Following | Total Posts | Mean Posts/Week | Mean Likes/Post | Mean Likes/Post/Follower | Mean Comments/Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando Health Orthopedic Sports Medicine Fellowship (orlandosportsmed) | 11/2021 | 169 | 42 | 8 | 0.05 | 39.29 | 0.23 | 2.71 |
| Union Memorial Hospital (unionsportsmedicine) | 09/2021 | 62 | 15 | 9 | 0.05 | 5.25 | 0.08 | 0.13 |
| University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics (iowaorthosportsmedfellowship) | 11/2020 | 233 | 0 | 13 | 0.06 | 5.38 | 0.02 | 0.23 |
| Duke University Hospital (dukeorthosmfellowship) | 08/2024 | 490 | 466 | 10 | 0.50 | 52.50 | 0.11 | 0.70 |
| American Sports Medicine Institute (St. Vincent’s) (americansportsmedicineinst) | 04/2023 | 997 | 8 | 191 | 1.36 | 46.73 | 0.05 | 1.26 |
| Andrews Research and Education Foundation (andrews_research_education) | 03/2022 | 2,012 | 721 | 346 | 2.40 | 16.13 | 0.01 | 0.36 |
| Hospital for Special Surgery/Cornell Medical Center (hss.sports) | 01/2024 | 1,266 | 106 | 91 | 1.75 | 73.63 | 0.06 | 2.68 |
| Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic (kerlanjobe) | 05/2016 | 1,198 | 61 | 205 | 0.46 | 20.60 | 0.02 | 0.40 |
| Mississippi Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center (msmocfellowships) | 11/2020 | 393 | 427 | 233 | 1.08 | 8.50 | 0.02 | 0.07 |
| Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush (rushsportsfellowship) | 08/2022 | 1,575 | 197 | 105 | 0.84 | 61.66 | 0.04 | 1.07 |
| San Diego Arthroscopy & Sports Medicine (sandiegosportsfellows) | 01/2022 | 201 | 193 | 131 | 0.84 | 8.70 | 0.04 | 0.29 |
| Steadman Hawkins Clinic–Denver (shcdfellowshipprogram) | 09/2021 | 534 | 157 | 149 | 0.86 | 24.72 | 0.05 | 0.58 |
| Steadman Hawkins Clinic of the Carolinas (hawkinsfoundation) | 11/2012 | 236 | 7 | 68 | 0.11 | 25.26 | 0.11 | 0.38 |
| Steadman Philippon Research Institute (steadmanphilippon) | 07/2020 | 3,956 | 658 | 985 | 4.24 | 50.08 | 0.01 | 0.61 |
| The Jewish Hospital Cincinnati/Cincinnati Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center (cincysportsmedresearch) | 07/2021 | 272 | 173 | 104 | 0.58 | 15.77 | 0.06 | 0.69 |
| University of California, San Francisco (ucsfsportsshoulderfellowship) | 01/2023 | 544 | 340 | 57 | 0.55 | 44.18 | 0.08 | 0.81 |
| University of Kansas (ku_sportsmedicine_fellowship) | 02/2024 | 105 | 32 | 30 | 0.62 | 10.33 | 0.10 | 0.13 |
| University of Virginia (uvaorthosports) | 09/2022 | 696 | 204 | 22 | 0.18 | 49.32 | 0.07 | 0.86 |
| University of Wisconsin (uw_sportsmedicine) | 08/2021 | 635 | 139 | 125 | 0.71 | 35.23 | 0.06 | 1.13 |
| Yale School of Medicine Sports Medicine (yalesportsmedicine) | 05/2021 | 301 | 13 | 92 | 0.49 | 23.90 | 0.08 | 0.33 |
| Mean | — | 793.75 | 197.95 | 148.70 | 0.89 | 30.86 | 0.06 | 0.77 |
| P value (χ 2 analysis) | — | — | — | .236 | — |
Instagram account activity had a mean of 0.9 posts per week (range, 0.05-4.2), 30.9 likes per post (range, 5.3-73.6), and 0.8 comments per post (range, 0.1-2.7). Stories, an additional temporary posting method that disappears after 24 hours, could not be analyzed. Few profiles contained highlights (n = 6; 30.0%), which are a collection of Instagram stories that are permanently saved to a profile. Engagement (mean likes/post/follower) with Instagram profiles ranged from 0.01 to 0.23, with a mean engagement of 0.06.
The most common hashtags utilized included #sportsmedicine (n = 16 Instagram accounts; 80.0%) and #orthopedics (n = 8 Instagram accounts; 40.0%). Commonly repeated or used hashtags associated with each Instagram account are summarized in Table 2 .
Table 2
Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellowship Program Instagram and X Hashtags Used
| Program | Instagram Repeated Hashtags | X Repeated Hashtags |
|---|---|---|
| Orlando Health Orthopedic Sports Medicine Fellowship | #orthopedics #resersetotalshoulderarthoplasty #fellowship #futureorthopedics #thefutureofmedicine #jewett #sportsmedicine #golf #sportsmedicine #orthopedicsurgery #bayhill #orlandohealth #orlando #orlandohealth #surgery #sportsmedicine #technology | — |
| Union Memorial Hospital | #Match2024; #Fellowship; #SportsMedicine; #Ravens; #medstarhealth; #programdirector; #sportsmedicinefellowship; #unionmemorialhospital; #graduation; #medstar | — |
| University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics | #iowasportsmed; #orthopedicsportsmedicine; #sportsmedicinefellowship; #sportsmedicinefellow; #femoroacetabularimpingement; #glueteusmedius; #hamstringrepair; #acl; #anteriorcruciateligament; #fai; #hipscope | — |
| Duke University Hospital | #duke; #dukefootball; #bowl; #PutUpYourDukes; #football; #sportsmedicine; #NCCU; #ortho; #sports; #spineboarding; #fellowship; #athletictraining | #dukeorthosportsmedicine |
| American Sports Medicine Institute (St. Vincent’s) | #baseball #biomechanics#mlb #npb #pitching #elbow #shoulder #fyp #tommyjohnsurgery | — |
| Andrews Research and Education Foundation | #AREFFellows2023 #BuildingTheFuture #AREF | #AREF |
| Barton/Lake Tahoe Sports Medicine Fellowship | — | #sportsmedfriday |
| Baylor College of Medicine | — | #sportsmedicine |
| Hospital for Special Surgery/Cornell Medical Center | #HospitalforSpecialSurgery #HSS #HSSSportsMedicine #SportsMedatHSS #SportsMedicineInstitute #SMI #SportsMedicine | — |
| Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic | #SportsMedicine | — |
| Mississippi Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center | #MSMOC #Fellowship #Orthopedics #SurgeryCenter #OrthopedicSurgery #SportsMedicine #AdultReconstruction #ShoulderElbow #TulaneUniversity #Welcome #FellowshipTraining #MississippiSportsMedicine #FellowshipGraduation #MSMOCFellowships | #Orthopedics # MSMOC #Fellowshiptraining |
| Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush | #orthopaedics #sportsmedicine #research #fellowship #medicineofmovement #podcast #AOSSM #2022 #RUSH #MOR #lab #midwestorthopaedicsatrush #elbowsurgery #shouldersurgery #chicago | N/A |
| San Diego Arthroscopy & Sports Medicine | #sdlegion #wearelegion #legionloud #sdlegionrugby #sdlegionfans #sdloyal #sdloyals | — |
| Scottish Rite for Children Sports Medicine/University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (Dallas) | — | #pedssports |
| Southern California Orthopedic Institute | — | N/A |
| Stanford Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellowship | — | #sportsmedicine #orthopaedicsurgery #fellowship #standfordortho #standford #socialhour #education #connect #mentoship |
| Steadman Hawkins Clinic–Denver | #sportsmed #sportsmedicinedoctor #sportsmedicinephysician #sportsmedfellowship #sportsmedfellow #orthopedicsurgery #orthopedics #orthopedicfellowship #ortho #orthofellowship #orthofellows #denversportsortho #arthroscopy #shouldersurgery #kneesurgery #elbowsurgery | — |
| Steadman Hawkins Clinic of the Carolinas | #sportsmedicine #orthopedics #teamwork #cougars #hellcats #surgery #medicine | — |
| Steadman Philippon Research Institute | #sportsmedicine #orthopaedics #mentors #fellowship #medicaleducation #surgicalskills #immersiveexperience | — |
| The Jewish Hospital Cincinnati/Cincinnati Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center | #orthopedics #fellowship #sportsmedicine #cincysportsmedicine | — |
| Twin Cities Orthopedics | — | N/A |
| University of California, San Francisco | #sportsmedicinefellowship #orthosports #ucsf ##ucsfortho #meded #arthroscopy #sportsmedicine #ucsfsportsmedicine #sportsmedicinefellowship | N/A |
| University of Kansas | #sportsmedicine #kusportsmed #kusportsmedicine #chiefs #kuathletics #sportsfellowship #sportsmed #superbowl #kuhospital #orthopedics | — |
| University of Virginia | N/A | — |
| University of Wisconsin | #sportsmedicine | #sportsmedicine |
| Yale School of Medicine Sports Medicine | #yaleorthopaedics #yalesportsmedicine #orthopaedicsurgerysportsmedicine #sportsmedicine #surgeons | #sportsmedicine #fellowship #orthotwitter #medtwitter |
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